Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day; yet a startling 40% of Canadian children do not eat breakfast on a daily basis according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Over half of adults also frequently skip breakfast with reasons varying from: not feeling hungry, to wanting to ‘cut calories’ or simply trying to save time in the morning. Whatever the excuse, breakfast is truly a vital part of healthy living and has numerous health benefits.
Today, I will share my top 5 benefits from daily breakfast consumption. My follow-up blog will identify some balanced, nutritious breakfast ideas for morning mealtime inspiration!
Five Reasons to Eat B-fast...
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According to the University of Alberta, only 12% of Canadians eat a balanced breakfast in the morning. In my last post, I shared my top 5 benefits for having breakfast daily. Today, as a follow-up, I will provide quick, convenient meal time ideas to get you nourished and on your way in the morning!
Anatomy of a Balanced Breakfast: Easy as 1, 2, 3!
1. Think Fibre!
Choose foods that are high in fibre to provide long lasting fuel until your next meal. Fibre not only fills you up, it also lowers cholesterol, stabilizes blood...
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Digestive Health: Exploring the ‘Gut-Brain’ Connection: It is well known that signals from our brain impact our stomach or gut. Think back to a time where you were extremely worried about a looming presentation and then felt butterflies in your stomach, a lump in your throat and noticed a change in your bowel movements. This is a demonstration of how your digestive system automatically responds to emotions experienced. However, have you ever wondered if these same signals can travel in the opposite direction, so that your gut can communicate to your brain and impact things like your emotional state? It appears that our gut is smarter than...
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Curbing your Mindless Eating: Thanksgiving Edition: There is a very intricate (and fascinating) science behind why we eat what we eat and why we eat the amounts we do! Without even realizing it, we are inundated with subtle environmental cues, which cunningly lead us to eat more than we otherwise would. Brian Wansink is a food researcher and has written the indispensible book “Mindless Eating” which both exposes and explores these environmental cues in order to provide readers with tips for eating a little ‘less’ without even noticing it! So, in honour of Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought this would be a timely topic to help us...
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I am pleased to introduce my guest blogger, Renu Arora, a fellow dietitian and friend of mine. Renu specializes in heart disease, diabetes and weight management with practices in both Mississauga and Etobicoke. Today, Renu will be exploring a hot, new nutritional topic on vitamin D fortified b-fast cereal!
We’ve heard a lot about Vitamin D (aka “the sunshine vitamin”) in the news over the past few years. I myself have written on its increasing importance, and recommend that all Canadians supplement with it, especially in the winter months, as it is literally impossible for anyone to make enough of it naturally given our geography…the sun’s rays are...
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Now that you are familiar with the emerging chia seeds and hemp hearts from my past blogs, we are ready to 'dig in' and compare these super seeds to the famous flax seed. Today, we will review what these seeds have in common as well as their distinguishing characteristics.
What do Chia, Hemp and Flax all have in Common?
Plant based, vegetarian, vegan protein sources
‘Complete protein’ – all your essential amino acids
All gluten free * Contain heart healthy polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 & 6), which support immune function and brain functioning, and are cholesterol lowering and anti-inflammatory
All are a source of both protein and fibre
Nutritional Comparison...
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Do you remember the chia pet phenomenon back in early 90s? With that catchy jingle and those captivating commercials where the chia pet would sprout before our eyes? Well, little did we know that those little chia seeds were an ancient dietary staple for Aztec civilizations which would later emerge in North America as a Super Food.
Today, I will explore the health and nutritional benefits behind that mighty chia seed and explain how to get some chia into your diet. In my next blog post I will be comparing chia seeds to hemp and flax seeds!
Chia seeds are part of the mint family and are native to...
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The concept of a ‘super-food’ is an emerging phenomenon and encompasses foods with an extraordinary nutritional profile along with associated health benefits. Hemp is considered one of the world's most nutritious plants and definitely a ‘super-food’ you want in your pantry!
What is Hemp?
Hemp is a tall plant; in fact, the hemp plant can grow up to 18 feet high! Hemp has a strong, fibrous stalk and tiny, edible seeds known as hemp seeds or shelled as hemp hearts. It can be eaten whole, pressed into an edible oil, or ground into flour for baking. Hemp has been cultivated as food for over 5,000 years and is a...
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Meal planning can be a daunting task considering our hectic work schedules, our children’s sports or extracurricular activities and not to mention the parental task of ensuring homework is complete and the kids are to bed at a decent time! Nevertheless, if you (and your family) are looking to eat less processed foods, eat more fruits and vegetables in addition to less sugary and/or processed foods then meal planning is your key to success.
I believe that meal planning is truly an ‘art form’ which you get better at only with practice. Once meal planning becomes a habit, it can significantly lower your stress through improved meal-time organization and the enjoyment of delicious, balanced, healthy meals to energize your...
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